Stanton workers’ tuck shop raises cash for charities

Mark Westley Photography'Animax Ltd Stanton'Samantha Dutton, Cheri Fuller, Helen Horne, Chrisy Roden and Charlotte Hayward run a tuck shop at the factory and raise money for charity. They have donated money to SARS and, the latest one, is a ?500 to WSH Special Baby Unit. ANL-150519-213827009

John Henderson

When the sandwich woman stopped calling at Animax, five of the staff realised there was a gap in the market.

But instead of selling snacks and drinks to their colleagues and pocketing the profits, they decided to do it for charity.

Over the past two years they estimate they have raised about £1,700 at the Stanton animal supplements company.

Cheri Fuller, Samantha Dutton, Helen Horne, Chrissie Roden and Charlotte Haywood run a tuck shop in the firm’s canteen buy buying in bulk and adding a small mark-up for charity.

Cheri said: “We used to have a sandwich lady, but she stopped coming and all the blokes were going out buying crisps and chocolate, so we decided we would set up in one of the canteen cupboards.

“We just have crisps, chocolate bars, energy drinks and fizz. In the summer, when we do ice creams as well, we can sell about £100 worth of stuff a week.”

On top of that, they run Christmas and Easter raffles and do a cake stall, making the cakes themselves.

They have donated to Suffolk Accident Rescue Service, The Multiple Sclerosis Society and to the Hannah Seeley Room at West Suffolk Hospital’s Midwifery-led Birthing Unit. It is named after the sister of one of their colleagues, midwife Hannah Seeley who was killed in a road accident.

They have also supported colleagues’ charity fund raising efforts and are about to donate £500 to West Suffolk Hospital’s Special Baby Unit.

Cheri said they are considering choosing one charity a year to adopt as the tuck shop’s beneficiary.